Secrecy
by AdeebaLovesHHH
Summary: Stephanie McMahon is young, beautiful and innocent, hired to spy on a business tycoon. But she doesn't know what this web of deceit have in store for her.
1. Chapter 1: Meeting

_Some moments have the power to change the course of our life_.

And Stephanie McMahon was on the verge of changing the course herself.

**Chapter 1: Meeting**

"Mr John Gilbert will see you in a few minutes," the secretary said politely, glancing at the brunette seated across from her.

The strikingly beautiful girl looked up from the magazine she was pretending to read and nodded with a smile adorning her pretty face. "Thank you," she said as she gazed down again trying to control her nervous dread of confronting her uncle. It had been ten years but the painful memories of her first encounter with her uncle were still fresh in her mind. It seemed as if it was just yesterday when young Stephanie and her mother were treated with insulted scorn by John Gilbert and his family.

The phone on the secretary's desk buzzed, sending a jolt through Stephanie's nervous system. How, she wondered, she landed in this impossible predicament. Surely, she and her father were facing some financial problems but she had no fucking idea that her father, Vince McMahon, would ask John Gilbert for some help. Of all the people in the world, John was the last person she wanted help from. But before she could have dissuaded her father, he already had made the call and the interview was arranged. And now here she was, in the plush reception of 'Gilbert Enterprises', waiting for her name to be called. Even the thought of working in his company was downright sickening. But she had no other choice than to go by her father's request. Since the day that Vince suffered that heart attack, Steph tried her best to abide by all his legit requests. Being her father this was the least he deserved. Honestly, her father had no idea about the insults hurled at Stephanie and her mother about ten years ago therefore he had no reason to despise John.

Stephanie sighed laying the unread magazine in her lap. She was aware of how much this job meant to her family. Overcoming the financial crisis was her top most priority and she wasn't prepared to let her ego ruin this job opportunity for her.

"Excuse me Ms. McMahon, Mr. Gilbert will see you now," the soft voice brought Stephanie out of her thoughts and she made her way down the corridor with the secretary leading the way. She silently uttered her impassioned prayers before gently knocking at the door.

Steph had quite poise in her movements and John was certainly astonished to see her when she entered his office. The outrageous girl who he met about ten years ago was now standing in front of him and he was bemused. She was undoubtedly gorgeous from head to toe. He motioned her towards the leather chair and extended his hand across his desk.

"John Gilbert, nice to meet you after such a long time."


	2. Chapter 2: Decision

**Chapter 2: Decision**

Lounging back in his brown leather swivel chair, John Gilbert was going through the resumé which was handed to him by the beautiful lady seated across from his mahogany desk. He pushed all the concern related to the loss of another contract at the back of his head. Right now he had to focus on the task in hand and get over with this interview. Although, he was taking a second every now and then to admire the epitome of beauty in front of his eyes. Stephanie McMahon was no longer that outspoken little kid, she was a grown up girl now, who had the face and figure to make men turn and stare.

However, Stephanie's face had a lost expression at the moment merely because of the fact that John seemed like an entirely different person. He wasn't being the cold, conceited bastard that he was about ten years back. It was like Stephanie expected this blast from the past to blew up in her face but unexpectedly John was being a gentleman rather than an asshole. Him being cordial was something Steph least expected and therefore she was still processing that in her head. He greeted her with utmost respect and inquired about her and Vince's well being. Maybe her hatred towards John all those years was a misjudgement or maybe she was getting influenced by his wealth and smooth sophistication.

_The latter part made more sense._

The Gilberts were distantly related to the McMahons therefore they rarely contacted each other. Although, ten years back Linda and Stephanie stayed at The Gilbert Mansion during their visit to Boston. Well, Steph still regretted that day. And therefore it was rather disconcerting to discover that, despite John's outwardly cold, aloof attitude ten years ago Stephanie's opinion about him was on the verge of changing.

The faint sound of the turning of the page pulled Stephanie's attention to the subject at hand. That sound indicated that her résumé was still being studied and it was a welcoming sign because money was something she needed more than anything. Her old man wasn't in a condition to still work at the construction sites. After that heart attack, Vince took some time off from work and Steph becoming the breadwinner for her family was the only available option. After Linda's death a few years back, Vince was everything to Steph and she was devastated when he suffered that heart attack. Since then she was trying to be independent. It was like the weight of the world was resting on her shoulder but she was still high on hope.

Sitting here in the immense office of the Gilbert Enterprises she felt her heart softening for this man and the reason seemed obvious. The wealth and power he was surrounded by.

"Your résumé is quite impressive, Stephanie," the man in his fifties uttered. He spoke up in an appreciative tone while still glancing at the resumé and that was when an unexplainable smile dawned across his aristocrat features. There was a glint in his eyes as if he saw a light of hope. _But what was it about_. "One thing that particularly caught my attention was your past work experience. You have worked in a detective agency as a secretary?" His voice had a triumphant quality.

Stephanie felt lost, completely out of place because John's expressions were too excited for their own good. "Yeah, I always had this interest in detective stuff. You know how teens are, right?" John nodded in agreement and encouraged her to talk more about it. Therefore Stephanie continued,"So this company was set up in collaboration with the local police office. And my Dad knew some people in the police department so they asked me to work as a secretary there. But I guess that work experience doesn't count much."

"I think you will change that statement of yours after you hear me out completely. But before that I want to ask you something, what do you know about spying? As in industrial or corporate spying?" Steph's face turned pale and all that pink complexion of her cheeks died down. What the fuck he was getting at? Spying? Was he planning to get her in jail? Maybe all this was actually a bad idea. An asshole turning into an angel maybe just happened in movies.

"I just know that it gets you into trouble. And I will appreciate if you will just come out clear with me," Steph snapped at him. He was being kinda ridiculous but then too she decided to go against her instincts and listen to what he meant by all that spying stuff.

"Okay so I will be completely honest with you Stephanie," he continued while moving closer to the desk. "In the last couple of months we have been losing tenders to a competing business named HG enterprises. Every time we bid on the contract, they put their bids just a fraction of a percentage less and steal the contract from us. I have this feeling that someone from my company is passing on the details of our sealed bids. And today I learnt that they have completed their hatrick of stealing contracts from us. I can't let it slide, and because you know about this detective stuff I just hoped that you might me of help to us," John said in a polite manner.

"What would I be able to do in that? I was just a secretary in that detective agency and that doesn't make me a spy," Steph's voice had whatsoever no excitement. Her high hopes were now buried six feet under.

"Look Stephanie, your résumé is impressive enough to get you a job at the secretarial level but your past working experience might work as a bonus for you. I want you to apply for a job for a secretary position in HG Enterprises. After getting that new contract I am pretty sure that HG will require more staff to carry out their increased work. And you know that Secretaries are entitled to all confidential information. I want you to just keep your ears open and hear the mention of any of my executive's name. I have eight executives in my company and one of them seems to leak all that information about our bids. Because you have worked in a detective agency I am sure you are aware of how to keep things a secret. And the money you will get for your services will be more than you can imagine," John explained in the best way he could.

He wasn't ready to fire seven honest executives just on the expense of a treacherous man. He was planning for this spying since before Stephanie entered his office. He already made up his mind that if Steph would reject this offer then he will ask someone else to do this job.

Steph's expressions seemed less than willing but she was contemplating this offer in her head. Money was her top most priority and if this offer meant not much harm then it was like a great opportunity for her. Already she was standing at a point where there was a trench on her right side and a wall on her left. So it didn't matter much because she was already surrounded by problems. And money was the only way out. Adding one more problem to the mix was certainly not that harmful. Or was it?

Words were stuck on the tip of her tongue, her heart was thumping and her hands were perspiring. Her mind was screaming to just accept this offer whilst her heart was completely against it. Then without giving it a second thought she said what seemed the only right thing.

"Why can't I just work as a secretary in your company?" Steph inquired. "I have no vacant secretarial position in my company. And with all this constant loss of contracts, I might dismiss some of the existing employees," John said in a defeated voice. "But Steph you can avoid that from happening. If you will find out about this dishonest executive's name. Then I will dismiss him straightaway and we won't lose further contracts. Please Steph give it a thought at least," John's tone was pleading and he kept his eyes focused on the brunette to get a response from her. Stephanie closed her eyes for a minute and that constant babbling in her head made it more difficult for her to come up with an answer. But finally her mind got away with a clear victory as she gave up on her instincts.

"Okay! I am ready to do it."

_And those words marked the dawning of a change of course in Stephanie McMahon's life._

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**I know you people are missing Paul, but he will make his entry soon. I just have to build the plot first. Thanks for the reviews. Hope to get more for this chapter. Please try to spare a minute and review it :) Thanks!**_  
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	3. Chapter 3: OUCH!

**Thanks a ton for the reviews :) They were better than I expected :) Please keep them coming. This chapter will make some of you very happy :D ENJOY! **

**Chapter 3: OUCH!**

_Everyone has a choice, but we should make sure that we make the right one._

Trudging through her denial phase, Stephanie was absent mindedly drumming her clammy fingers on the steering wheel. What the fuck was wrong with her brain? Wasn't her life already sucking some serious ass, but she had to just add up more spice to it therefore she agreed to this cryptic task. PURE INSANITY. The only two words that could describe her fucking choice. The minute the hard reality started sinking in, she started panicking. The intrigue and deception that would be involved in all this spying petrified her to death. Sue her for not admitting it in front of John. Stephanie might have turned Him down in other circumstances but right now her life was in a state of complete upheaval and her financial responsibilities were staggering. She felt dazed, uncertain and incredibly burdened.

Though the possibility of what might happen as a result of this spying was excruciating her now. Her thoughts were running like a damn roller coaster ride with a fucking deadly speed and no halt. What if there were any ulterior motives behind this corporate spying? This question was haunting her since the moment she left that building. Maybe she wasn't in the right frame of mind when she made this decision. Well, that would be an understatement because she fucking lost her mind and therefore accepted it.

Stephanie McMahon went against her better judgement and now she was completely indecisive. Even her secret hope of HG not having a vacancy for a secretarial position was dashed. The moment she agreed to this mysterious job, John instructed her to apply for it and adding to her misery, HG's manager on the other side of the phone called her right away. He also emphasised that HG got a new contract just today and they were in desperate need of a few more secretaries. Just Perfect. Wasn't she already going through a struggling phase and now her problems just multiplied. What if she got jailed? Though it was far-fetched but it was one of the possibilities.

Steph was completely clueless and was mentally slapping herself for getting in this precarious position. She secretly hoped that she wasn't applicable for the job. But John was darn sure that with the skills and experience that Steph possessed, HG would probably consider her for a secretarial position with a high-level executive. What was she supposed to do now? She had to come up with a solution and fast. Her appointment was fixed and she had just about an hour to come up with a plan. Snapping her fingers and wildly moving her head she was lost in contemplating. And then it suddenly hit her. DANG, there was only one way out of this mess. Call her an idiot for not coming up with it before. The only way to keep her ego intact without even admitting her cowardice in front of John was to go for the appointment but absolutely make certain that she wouldn't get one. Phew, finally her screwed up brain was functioning. And without much delay, she pulled her car into the reverse gear and got out of the parking lot of Gilbert Enterprises.

* * *

After filling out the endless forms and questionnaires required by HG, she deliberately failed her typing, speaking, spelling tests and even didn't mention anything about her college degree. Yep, that was her master plan and it worked as well. Mr. Alaric Saltzman, the Human Resources manager of HG enterprises, informed Stephanie that she did not meet HG's hiring standards for any position. Although she had this look of grief on her face but her insides were beaming. Now she just needed to inform John that she tried her level best but didn't get the job. Though that was far from the truth. Steph deserved a round of applause for coming up with this idea. She certainly made sure that she wasn't chosen for the job. After getting rejected, she made her way out of HG.

Emerging from the building, Stephanie walked towards her car which was parked near the construction site. It was a prematurely dark and windy night. She pulled the blazer closer around her as the cold wind sent shivers down her spine. It was kinda an industrial area with blocks of office buildings on either side of the road. Enjoying the cool breeze which soothed her nerves, Steph took a moment to ponder over the fact that though she steered herself clear from this spying task but her major problem still stood tall and that was lack of financial funds. Expenditure on Vince's medicines and medical check-ups left her with insufficient savings. And she already rid herself of a good job opportunity, in terms of money. But crying over spilled milk was surely not going to help her. Deciding to just keep her hopes high and search for some more job opportunities, she kept walking in the same direction.

Suddenly, she heard some heavy footsteps thudding into the dirt. She wasn't able to figure out whether someone was approaching her or just walking in another direction. However, she quickened her pace anyways to just reach her damn car. The last thing she wanted was to get herself trapped by a stranger in a city she hardly knew of and in an isolated industrial area. Although her decision of walking briskly just increased the tally of the bad decisions that she made today. Because before Steph knew it her feet connected with a brick sending her off her feet. Her mouth opened for a huge scream, her arms flailed for balance and she landed sprawling, face down on the ground. AH-MAZING. Sound of footsteps filled the silent place again though this time they were definitely approaching her, maybe for helping her out. But how can her life be so fucking perfect. First of all, she was practically forced into applying for a job at Gilbert Enterprises, crushing her ego with her own foot she even acted civil in front of Devil Gilbert just to end up being offered no job from him. Then he showed him that split personalities did exist therefore he decided to act like the Saint Gilbert and asked her for a spying favor and she ended up agreeing to that too adding 'stupidity' to the list of characteristics she possessed. Then she gave the job related tests only for the sake of failing them and ended her perfect day with her Jell-O feet falling over a huge brick in front of some stranger making a joke of her own self. Her life definitely reeked with perfection.

Lifting her throbbing head as she heard a manly voice, Steph glanced at the figure standing just a foot away from her. Though her vision was almost blur.

"Weren't you watching your way? Now let me help you," the stranger offered help with a slightly arrogant remark.

Before she even replied to that question, she found two strong arms reaching out to her. The muscular man took her firmly by the shoulder and helped her to her feet. Stephanie's mind was paralysed with apprehension therefore she mouthed a silent 'Thank you' before getting herself away from that stranger. She had no strength at the moment to counteract against that remark. She just took about two steps away from him when her hand subconsciously moved to her forehead. Steph felt dizzy because of that fall but leave it to her stubbornness for acting like nothing happened. The tall figure, whose face was still not visible enough due to the darkness of the night, reached out for her again.

"You can't walk on your own just now. My office is in this under-construction building. Let me take a look of that injured foot of yours or else I will have to call a doctor," His tone was serious but there was a bit of concern in it.

She nodded silently as he slid his arm around her waist and moved against her so that she could lean on him for support. The duo made their way into the dark building and Steph heard him calling out for someone. The moment he called out some names, the lights of the previously dark structure, switched on. Few men from different directions came to the hall where Steph was leaning into a man she knew nothing about. Adjusting her eyes to the bright light and moving her head sideways just to get rid of that temporary headache, she glanced at the figure holding her close.

He politely instructed those men to bring up the safety kit, some ice and water to his office. His body was in motion again as he started walking towards his office along with Steph to tend to her injured ankle. But talking about Steph, she had her gaze fixated on this certain Blonde's chiseled features and was practically drooling over him. Headache, ankle pain and dizziness, everything just disappeared into thin air. She tried hard to jerk her gaze from his face to avoid getting caught in the act of gawking at him. For a sensible young woman, Steph was acting foolishly and therefore decided to just get a grip over herself. Finding her footing and steadying herself, she tried to walk without his support. Within a couple of minutes, they reached the gigantic office and Stephanie wasn't able to hide her awestruck expressions. It was a beautiful sight to behold. Breathtaking, in other words. The long-haired blonde had the amused look on his face as he saw Stephanie's blue eyes all wide open at the sight in front of them.

"You can freshen up in there, if you want to," the handsome hunk said, motioning his hand towards the bathroom. He was finding it a bit awkward to refer to her since he wasn't even aware of her name. But being the egoistic guy that he was, he certainly wasn't going to make the first move in starting off this 'Hello my name is Paul Levesque' conversation. He turned his back to Steph while making a call and it was like an indirect sign for her to get dismissed.

With embarrassment still in her eyes because of that fall and with a limping walk, Steph made her way towards the bathroom. But she couldn't help herself from turning around and let her admiring gaze wander over the perfection standing with his back to her. He seemed perfect in all senses of the word. His muscular arms were bulging out of his skin-tight purple polo t-shirt. His hairs were tied up in a perfect ponytail which was completely straightened up. With a stern sexy voice and those hazel eyes, he had the ability to make girls fantasise about him all day all night long. And as far as personality was concerned, masculine strength was carved into every feature of his Proud profile.

While she was acutely aware of his male attraction, he seemed completely oblivious to her as a female. She felt a little puzzled and definitely disappointed. Well, lost in her misery she was about to close the bathroom door when she paused after hearing Mr. HotSomExy speak in a lowered voice. Yep, that was the name she came up for him since he was all sorts of Hot, Handsome and Sexy.

He spoke up greeting the person on the other side of the phone and took pauses in between just to let the other person speak. But the words that particularly caught Steph's attention made her feel bad for eavesdropping. "Yeah dude! I am still stuck at the construction site because of a nice stargazing kid who tripped over a brick." Kid? A Stargazing Kid? Just because she fell over a brick cause of her paced up walking meant that she was a stargazer. That was downright insulting. And Kid? How the fuck was she a kid in his eyes? She was a grown up woman for saying out loud. Frowning and almost losing all her self respect she turned around to face the mirror. And she had to stifle back a horrified laughter. She wasn't looking like a kid. Hell, she was looking even worse than a kid. With her face stained with dirt, her hairs dangling crazily over her shoulders and her tights having some holes in it she looked like a caricature of herself. That fall was pretty bad from the looks of it. Mr. HotSomExy's description of Stephanie seemed pretty much justified now. But that was just going to change. Steph started working on her dressing, gleefully anticipating the shock that was in store for the Hot-Shot Blonde when she was cleaned up and presentable. She was just planning to have the last laugh on him.

Hope you guys enjoyed it :) Please try to post a review to let me know your opinion about it :)


	4. Chapter 4: Surprise, surprise!

**Getting new readers and reviewers is always welcoming :) ThankYou people for taking out time to review this fic. Means a lot :D ENJOY!**

**Chapter 4: Surprise, surprise!**

Her pulse quickened with excitement as she tried to make her transformation as quick as possible. The longer she would stay in here, the less effective her makeover would be. Though Steph mentally convinced herself that she wasn't making herself presentable just because she longed for his appreciative gaze. But deep down she already knew that making a good impression on him was the sole reason why she was doing it. Screw her for finding that man so damn perfect. Apart from his cold attitude he was awesomely off-the-scale, she thought.

Checking again that the bathroom door was locked, she went back to the task in hand. Hurriedly, she removed a few items from her black leather purse that hung over her shoulder. After scrubbing her face with soap and changing into a new pair of tights that she was carrying in her purse, she started brushing her hair vigorously. Within a few minutes time she was done, stepping away from the mirror she surveyed her appearance. Her dark brown artlessly curled hair fell softly on her shoulders and back. She smoothed the wrinkles from her black skirt and adjusted her ascot-style white blouse and blazer. Applying some lipstick on her soft lips and a touch of blusher on her cheeks, Stephanie dumped the contents in her shoulder purse and stepped out of the bathroom. It was show time.

Paul was being the busy body guy moving around swiftly and preparing a drink for himself. He also squeezed lemon in a glass of water for the self-presumed kid. He was moving in front of the mirrored bar in his office when he heard the bathroom door open and click shut behind him.

Without turning Paul asked, "Did you find everything you needed in there?"

"Yes, i did, thank you," Steph said, putting down her purse on the nearby couch. There, words. Finally some sentence forming on her part. It was the first time in about fifteen minutes that she made Paul levesque aware of her speaking abilities. "I didn't catch your name, by the way," Paul said as a matter-of-factly in a polite way. Just hearing her soft innocent voice made him get the better of his egotistical self. Progress.

"Stephanie Marie McMahon, and yourself?"

"Paul, Paul Michael Levesque." This name was definitely made for him. According to some scientists, the guys named 'Paul' are so fucking hot that they are the main reason of global warming. They are probably the most amazing guys on earth. And the living proof of that was standing in front of Steph's own eyes. The introductions were now over with and anticipation was building inside her at an unimaginable rate. His possible reaction to her cleaned up look sent her anxiety sky-rocketing.

Carrying two crystal glasses in his hands, Paul finally turned around. Taking two steps towards her he stopped dead in his tracks. His brows drew together as his hazel eyes narrowed. Stephanie was looking down on the plush carpeted floor and he took this as an opportunity to check her out. To be honest, he was surprised. Surprised to see the heart-stoppingly beautiful lady in front of his eyes. Yep, lady. Finally he noticed her as a striking lady and not a stargazer kid. Paul's eyes were still wide and he let his stunned gaze to take in her appearance. From her pretty face to her long shapely legs, Paul Levesque's eyes travelled all the distance boldly. But the moment Steph felt a pair of eyes on her, she jerked her head up and Paul guiltily moved his head to the other side. Though in the process of doing so, he noticed the most arresting feature of Stephanie's being, her blue orbs.

To Steph's amusement, the moment she looked up, Paul turned on his heels to get back to the same position where he was standing a while ago. He moved around, pretending to put some more ice in his wine glass. "Just out of curiosity, what were you doing in this area?" Paul inquired glancing over his shoulder at her.

After enduring men's gaping admiration, their leers and stares for so many years, Stephanie had at last met a man who she desperately wanted to impress, and finally he was taking some interest in her. Stephanie played safe and told him that she was applying for a job at HG Enterprises and was turned down. She left all the spying details purposely. In reply, Paul quickly retorted saying that she might get a call from them. Though Steph paid little attention to that and informed Paul that she made a terrible impression on HG's manager and getting a job was completely impossible. Brushing off the topic, Paul instructed her to take a seat on the couch.

Making his way towards the couch, he handed her the glass of lemonade and placed his wine glass on the coffee table. With a bit of hesitance in his tone, Paul moved closer to where she was seated and said, "I'd like to have a look at your ankle." Steph nodded and felt her heart thumping a dramatic uneven beat. She felt nervous. Hell, even more than just nervous.

On getting her permission, Paul crouched down and unbuckled the thin strap of her sandal. The mere brush of his fingers against her ankle sent amazing jolts of electricity shooting up her leg. Fortunately, he seemed not to notice.

He kept studying her ankle for a couple of minutes and inquired whether it was still hurting or not. Steph told the truth that her ankle was quiet fine now. Therefore, he slipped that sandal onto her foot again. He glanced up at her with a lazy smile, sending Steph's pulse racing as he said, "Isn't there a fairy tale about a man who searches for a woman whose foot fits into a glass slipper."

She nodded with bright eyes,"Cinderella."

"What happens to me if this slipper fits?" Paul said placing his palm under his chin, looking boyishly cute.

"I will turn you into a handsome frog," Steph quipped.

He laughed, a rich, wonderful sound. His voice was warm and husky like molten chocolate cake and suddenly something flickered in the depths of his hazel-brown eyes. They weren't hazel anymore. They were now the shade of dark brown and there was a brief flame of sexual attraction that he abruptly doused.

The companionable bantering was over. Paul immediately buckled her sandal and stood up picking up his drink from the coffee table and quickly drained it. It was like an unwelcoming sign that their time together was at an end. He pulled out his cell phone from his jeans pocket and dialled a familiar number. "Matt, Paul here. The girl's ankle is fine now so i'll meet you guys downstairs in about five minutes."

Stephanie's heart sank. Five minutes only. This was depressing. But keeping her emotions hidden and plastering a small smile on her face, Steph picked up her purse and followed Paul out of the office. Not even once did he turn back to see her. Maybe all that sexual tension was the reason why he was suddenly acting so distant.

In just a couple of minutes, Steph found herself standing at the same place where that embarrassing scene took place. She kept her fingers crossed thinking that Paul might say something. But the words that came out of his mouth weren't what she wanted them to be. "I know people at HG, I'll give them a call and maybe Alaric will change his decision." Steph thanked him for his concern and for helping her out. With that she started walking towards her car. "It was nice meeting you Stephanie. Hope to see you around," he called out from behind. Though he contemplated on saying that for about a minute but his heart gave in. Hearing those words, Steph turned around and saw his entrancing smile. The way his tongue caressed her name made her heart frantic again. Steph flashed him a smile of her own, "Nice to meet you too, Paul."

And with this, Steph ended her bad day on a high note. With thoughts of Paul Levesque clouding her mind, Steph drove off to her hotel before waving in Paul's direction and he happily returned the gesture.

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	5. Chapter 5: Reconsidering? WHAT?

**Hello Readers! Sorry for making you all wait so long for this one. Was super busy cause of my sister's wedding. Hope some of you are still interested in this fanfic. Thanks a lot for the reviews. And I made a trailer for this fic. Be sure to check it out, thanks :)**

watch?v=PZ-WtalDg_k

**Hope you all like this chapter and the trailer. ENJOY! **

**P.S I have written most of this chapter in first person, my first attempt at a POV, so fingers crossed :)**

**Chapter 5: Reconsidering? WHAT?**

_Opportunity knocks at your door once, but if by any chance it knocks twice, don't be deaf and open the damn door._

Changing into her loose pjs and a hello kitty tee, Stephanie flopped down on her back and gazed at the ceiling of the small hotel room. Shifting on her bed as the pillow clung to her chest, she was trying hard to get her mind off the handsome subject, Paul levesque. Stephanie wasn't a big fan of coincidences but today was a whole lot different. Suddenly she had a clumsy fall and coincidently Mr. Levesque, the macho man, turned out to help her. But she had to give her fall credit because that was the only reason why Paul touched her feet arousing that tingling sensation in her body. That fall was definitely a strong candidate for 'fall of the year award'.

As a matter of fact, this trip to Boston had not been a complete failure. Although Steph was still a member of the unemployed group but meeting that hunk was the moment that soared to the top of the list of 'major events of Steph's life'. She never had the least bit idea that an embarrassing situation could also lead to events like that.

Rolling on to her right side, her eyes fixated on the usual piece of footwear lying just next to her bed. And dang it hit her. The moment when Paul Levesque was being a complete charmer with that endearing Cinderella mention, she held on to her composure but tucked away the words in her heart to be savored later, well now was the moment to savor them. The corners of her mouth upturned into a huge smile.

_"What happens to me if this slipper fits?," that boyish cuteness dripping from every fibre of his being._

_"I will turn you into a handsome frog."_

Replaying that interaction in her head, she felt proud of herself. Her reply was instantaneous but the way she quipped made him laugh out loud. And that laugh, she sighed dreamily thinking about it. Although at first she looked like a 14 year old gauche to him, but she was darn sure that her transformation and her witty reply had some effect on him. And well as far as Steph was concerned, the effect Paul had on her was pretty much evident by the smile she had on her face. She didn't fall for him but there was no denial in the fact that she developed a crush on him the minute she saw the hall's light dancing on his perfect face. Crush - the only plausible explanation for her sudden infatuation with a guy she had been for not even a whole hour. He was damn attractive, she concluded. And there was no denying the power of his sexual magnetism, either. It emanated from every rugged, self-assured inch of his body, pulling her to him.

But the way he abruptly ended that small interaction, made her doubtful and the thought that he might already have some serious relationship going on wasn't gone completely ignored either. But she crossed her fingers with that tiny miny hope in her heart that he wasn't committed to someone. The height of far-fetching was that, that she even considered that commitment prospect when she wasn't even sure that she will ever get to see him again or not. Suddenly she felt a pang in her chest realising the fact that he never asked how could he get in touch with her. And she didn't do the honors either. Working near him, just across the street, was also not an option anymore, thanks to her idea of flunking those tests at HG. Dammit! Life was such a bitch at times. However, like always Stephanie preferred staying hopeful than crying over what has already been done. Thus, with a little bit of regret and thoughts of Paul still infecting her brain, she closed her eyes and soon fell asleep.

**Stephanie's POV:**

I could feel his breathe on the bare skin of my neck, Paul was standing close. Damn close. I cautiously turned around to find his face hovering mine. He looked me in the eye,his hazel eyes filled with some indescribable passion. His lips were drawing closer and closer and I couldn't do anything in my power to restrain that from happening. Getting caught up in the moment, I closed my eyes to embrace what was coming my way. I could only hear the sound of his breathing. That smooth sound of his breathing and..and a ringing tone. Ringing tone? What the fuck? I incredulously decided to find out what the hell was disturbing this moment. Moving my head sideways and involuntarily opening my eyelids. I registered the harsh reality and threw my head back on the pillow in exasperation. A dream it was. HELL. Just when I was about to feel his lips on mine, this devil phone made its presence felt.

Shouting insanities at that phone of mine which was ringing incessantly. I glanced at the caller id while rubbing my eyes. I was expecting to sleep until 10 after having a hectic day yesterday. But this unknown caller definitely had other plans for me. I cleared my throat just to avoid sounding sleepy and answered the phone with a wry smile on my face.

"Hello! May I speak to Ms. Stephanie McMahon?," the man on the other side of the phone inquired. Although the voice sounded familiar but not too familiar to recognise who the person actually was.

"Yes Stephanie McMahon speaking, whose this?" I mentally patted my back for talking as if I had been up for hours, no sleepy tone. Way to go.

"Alaric here! I guess, you remember me from the interview yesterday. Just called to let you know that you are expected to be at HG's office in an hour. Be on time." His tone certainly lacked some general mannerism. He was sort of ordering me to be there and to be honest I felt lost. Why the hell was I expected at HG? Well, it was time to ask some of my questions instead of hearing Alaric's commandments. "Please can you just tell me why am I expected at HG?" Maybe he thought I was being funny or he was being sarcastic because I heard him chuckling and nothing I just said sounded humorous, not to me at least.

"Aren't you aware of the furor you stirred up last night? Well, to make it more clear to you, you are being reconsidered for the job." Reconsidered? What? What the hell did I do to be reconsidered? This was getting terrible by the minute. Before I could say anything to turn down this reconsidering offer, Alaric hung up on me. And when the hell did I stir up a furor or something? I was laying on this very bed last night, day dreaming about Paul and Alaric accused me of stirring up a furor. This was the limit. I immediately pushed the covers aside and got out of bed. I just needed to know the reason of this sudden reconsideration after being flatly refused yesterday. Damn, this job is definitely a pain in the ass and its following me like some curse.

* * *

In less than half an hour I was on my way to HG. Getting ready in record time was one of my hidden ability which helped me at times like these. Reaching HG's office for the second time in two days, I lightly knocked my knuckles on Mr. Alaric Saltzman's door with a mixture of dread and anticipation in my heart. He politely asked me to enter and I braced myself for the horror that awaited me.

"Welcome Ms. McMahon! Take a seat," he ushered me towards the leather chair present in front of his his desk. The look on his face made me feel guilty, it was like I did something that annoyed the hell out of him but I was a lost puppy who knew nothing. My throat went dry cause of nervousness, one of the unlikely trait that I possessed. I took a sip from the water bottle that I was carrying in my shoulder bag. Although his next words turned the nervous wreck, me, into a jaw-dropped surprised idiot.

"You could have saved me, yourself and several others a great deal of time by straightaway telling me yesterday that you are a personal friend of Mr. Paul Levesque." Hearing those words, I almost choked on the water and sputtered, trying my best not to spit it out on Alaric's handsomely polished brown oak desk. I certainly hadn't expected in my wildest dreams to hear the words, friends, me and Paul in the same sentence. Let alone, personal friend.

"Pa...Mr. Levesque said that..to you?" I found it hard to say that sentence without stammering. Of course I was in shock and that was bound to happen.

"No," Alaric trailed off for a few seconds while I mentally brushed off the mere thought that Paul was the one who told him that. But when he continued, I felt contrite. "Mr. Levesque didn't say that to me. But he did call the president of our company, Mr. Shane. Mr. Shane called the executive vice-president, who called my boss. And last night my boss called me at home and informed me that I had misjudged Ms. McMahon, who happens to be extremely bright and a personal friend of Mr. Levesque. Then he hung up on me," Alaric ended up filling me with the details in a slightly irritated tone. Well, all the information definitely justified the reason why he brought up that accusation when he called.

I sincerely apologised to him, that was the least I could do because in all honesty it was all my fault. I was the one who deliberately bungled the tests and made a terrible impression on him. He seemed to care less about the apology so our meeting was rather short-lived. But in all this I didn't fail to forget the fact that Paul liked me enough to intercede for me. That made me squeal with delight, though it was just a silent one.

On my way out of his office, Alaric informed me that Mr. Shane was supposed to take my re-tests. For the first time since I came here, to Boston, I was determined to make a good impression. The reason was obvious enough, Paul went so far as to intercede for me and the only way to return the favour was to prove that I was actually extremely bright.

With a newborn confidence I entered the good looking gentleman's office. Shane, a gray haired man who seemed to be in his forties. He had a charming personality and his mannerism spoke volumes. My meeting with him was a long one as he made me type a memo, asked me a few quick questions which also included the reason why I flunked in all those tests. I cautiously answered it by saying that it was just a misunderstanding and I was fortunate enough that Shane didn't push me to explain more.

"I am sure we will have a good team together, Stephanie. But don't get mistaken that I reconsidered you only because Paul is my best friend and he asked me to," Shane paused to take a sip from the glass of water which was placed in between bundles of papers on his desk. "My secretary went on a maternity leave a day before yesterday and she won't be returning anytime soon. When Paul called me last night, I thought I might interview you myself and make a better decision. Alaric sometimes offend people. I guess, you already know about his annoyed little self," he flashed me a you-know-it smile.

"And I won't let you down, Mr. Mac."

"Call me Shane, just like I am calling you Stephanie. Mr. Mac makes me feel like a 64-year old." We both chuckled at his frank little joke. He was a cool guy, from what small details I gathered about him in this meeting. And I don't know why, I got those friendly vibes from him. It actually made me a bit comfortable but the thought that I'd be cheating on him, made me frown. Urgh! that spying shit. Only because Gilbert was the one who actually deserved pitying because he was unethically being made to lose contracts, I indecisively decided to do this favor to him. But the million dollar question was that why the hell I always ended up on the side of doing favors on others. Yeah, precisely because I had the heart of a saint. Blame my genes for that. Well, all I would really be doing was trying to ferret out the name of the bad person who was leaking all the info of the bids. Seen from that viewpoint, my mission became justified and positively honourable. I felt virtuous for a minute or two but then I sternly reminded myself of the real reason I was now so eager and willing to work for HG - Paul worked just across the street, and no way in hell I was declining the opportunity to work near him. At first I wasn't aware of his presence on God's green earth. Now, I not only knew about him, but he also became one of my favorite person in the shortest span of time. Clearly, the most compelling man I ever set eyes on. And he definitely saw something in me that made him talk to Shane about this reconsidering stuff. That fact somewhat pushed the concern of a serious relationship between him and some classy lady to the back of my head. Clearing my mind of his thoughts and registering the fact that Shane was already busy in going over some file, I excused myself politely. I was also informed by him that I was supposed to report to work from next Monday.

With my hand on the door knob as I twisted it slightly, Shane called me from behind. "Stephanie, I forgot to tell you that in two weeks we will be moving in our new offices. You must have seen that under-construction building to the right. This building is rather small to handle our increased number of employees," he said in a proud tone. I closed the door behind me after absent-mindedly nodding in his direction. Trying to gather my wits, I leaned against the door. Working on the same street as Paul was already perfect enough and now working in the same building as him. Good lord. God was definitely up with an amazing plan for me. After struggling for what seemed like forever, juggling with a part-time job and studies, staying away from all kind of affairs and flings just to stay focused in life, I ended up here. My life was a mess until yesterday. Well, today changed hell a lot. Now I had a job with a heavy salary, a bonus that awaited me - if I'd find that contract-info-leaking asshole, and I had a man who I was planning to admire for an unforeseen future. Flawless.

Smoothing the wrinkles from my tailored apricot skirt and matching blouse, I walked out of the office into the bright sunny morning. My gaze was irresistibly drawn to the construction site just across the street. I sighed heavily as I made my way towards my car and sat down on the driver's seat. I would be lying if I would say that I didn't long to see Paul. Not even a whole day had passed and he was already possessing my brain. Maybe that was what always happened to people like me who steered themselves clear from love life for as long as they are capable to and the minute they find someone attractive, they become like love-sick puppies.

"Damn you Paul Michael Levesque," I scoffed mockingly as I said the words out loud to myself. Driving out of the industrial area, I shifted my attention to another significant matterand that was mentally making a list of things I needed to do today. Informing John Gilbert about my job was on top of my list, followed by a call to dad and then a little time dedicated to my own self to celebrate this new job with a toast or two. Those were my plans for the day but I intended to celebrate in one of the bars in the nearby area just to improve the chances of bumping into a certain blonde guy. Since it was a saturday night, my chances were bright, only if Mr. Levesque didn't mind drinking in a bar on weekends.

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	6. Chapter 6: Expect the unexpected!

**Yayy! I've completed the half-century of reviews :) Thank you guys! Keep'em coming :) **

**Chapter 6: Expect the unexpected!**

Dust covered lamps and chandeliers flickered overhead in the nearly empty bar filling it with a dim light. It was a perfect place to relax or to celebrate mildly just like Stephanie planned to, but she wasn't a fan of lone celebrations.

After swirling the ice cubes in her second wine glass for about five minutes, Steph took another small gulp, letting the subtly diluted red liquid to travel down her throat. She had been in this place for over half an hour with her hopeless hopes getting closer to being dashed with every passing minute, because Paul had not showed up anywhere near the territory. Well in this silent alone time she had nothing better to do than to reminisce over the events of the day.

Following her appointment at HG, she made her way back to her small hotel room which was either hit by an earthquake or some unknown catastrophe. Messed up, was an understatement, clearly not enough to describe the room's disastrous state. It could also be regarded as one of the consequences of getting ready earlier than normal. The clothes Steph had on, before leaving for HG, were lying on the floor, the sheets of the bed were almost out of their place, the covers were half up half down and the pillows were nowhere to be found. Maybe they were fallen on the other side of the bed. It took her about half an hour to get the room back into its normal state. Asking the room service to do the cleaning wasn't preferred by her.

As per her mentally made things-to-do list, the first thing she did after cleaning up the room was to call John Gilbert. She fished her purse to find the card that John handed to her. Upon finding it, she dialled his number and waited for him to pick up before he started talking non-stop. John impatiently, without even bothering to breathe, bombarded her with questions. She politely answered and gave him the good news of getting selected but deliberately missed the flunking part because some things were meant to be kept a secret. She could hear the long sigh of relief coming from the other end of the phone and could picture John beaming with pleasure. His words that followed, were appreciative and made her aware that he was happy about her future. Correction, her 'clandestine' future. The conversation lasted longer than Stephanie expected as he asked her for the details and then surprisingly offered her one of his vacant apartment to reside in. She refused the offer because she wasn't prepared to take such a huge favor from him. But to her financial benefit, John pressed her more and she ended up accepting it. Getting purged from paying the rent of an apartment in Boston, was not one of her concerns anymore. She genuinely thanked John because he really did help her and her opinion about him wasn't the same either.

Full of excitement and happy with the way life was treating her, Stephanie called the only person she loved to share her happiness with, her daddy. They both were hysteric while having that conversation but Stephanie restrained those unshed tears from falling. She didn't like to cry, specially not while talking to her dad because that would make him cry too. They had a long conversation, before Stephanie hung up informing Vince that she would be spending the week at home in order to pack up all her belongings and move to Boston. It was a really huge step on her part, but that was what Vince wanted. He wanted Stephanie to live her life in the best way and to never compromise for him. Besides, he already had their old servants George and Mary to look after him. Plus, his friends also lived in the neighbourhood.

Her day went by smoothly and her second wine glass was emptied, so picking up her stuff she made her way back to her hotel room, determined to try and keep Paul levesque out of her head.

* * *

Stephanie just completed the hatrick of getting her attention diverted from the task in hand and doodling on the stacks of papers scattered on her desk. It was her third day at work and she was already exhausted. Being the secretary of the company's president was a tough job and it was surely taking it's toll on Stephanie. Her last week hadn't been relaxing either. Because she was called to report on work from this Monday, she threw herself into the shifting work for the whole last week. The week flew by rather quickly as she packed up stuff and moved from New Hampshire to Boston. The places weren't that far away therefore she decided that she would visit Vince and stay with him on weekends. She had misty eyes while saying farewell to her dad but she held it together, though on her drive back to Boston she broke down. She had always been daddy's little girl and staying away from her dad was saddening but she had to do this for him. The job opportunities in New Hampshire reaped lesser money than the ones in Boston. Though, her job in Boston had its own drawbacks but the money she would get from the job and her extra curricular activities - spying, were more than satisfying.

Rubbing her forehead with her long manicured fingers, she pulled herself out of the reverie to complete the email that she was asked to. She had only about ten minutes to get done with the work cause she was supposed to attend a meeting with Shane, her boss, after that. Bringing her attention back to the demanding work, she quickly typed away the email and cross checked it for any typos and clicked the send button. She was done and she still had five minutes, she could catch her breath before going over to the conference hall along with her boss.

The meeting was a significant one, as implied by Shane. Subconsciously, her mind went back to when Shane informed her about the meeting.

_"Stephanie, I want you to send this email by 10, because we have to attend a meeting after that. Some executives, that you already know, will be there and.." he paused to add a little special effect and then continued, "Mr. CEO would be there too." There was a hint of smile on his lips. He seemed anxious to get that information across but the reason wasn't quite obvious. Stephanie nodded and went back to her desk with confusion surfacing in her mind._

Well, thinking about that small conversation, the confusion made it's way back into that concerned brain of Steph. It was just her third day at HG, therefore she didn't even get the time to socialise with her colleagues or to learn about the CEO of the company. Well maybe Shane wanted her to have a good impression on the CEO of HG as he was going to be a part of the meeting or he wanted Steph to be cautious of his presence. Whatever the actual reason was, Shane surely had a way with teasing. He never gave away everything. The guy who seemed to be in his forties but who was actually in the beginning of his thirties, was a happy-go-lucky soul who loved joking around. Maybe it was mild way of getting Steph under pressure. Shane and his tactics. Shaking her head on remembering his boss's antiques, she glanced at her watch and picked up her purse to get to the conference hall.

She smoothed her white slim skirt and her black frilled blouse while making her way out of her office. She was fumbling with the note pad, pen and bundles of paper in her hands. The sound of her heels echoed as they clicked against the tiled floor of the corridor. But she wasn't the only one. Suddenly, a man overtook her and was now walking a foot ahead of her, making somewhat the same sound with his classy boots. She was still searching a paper in the bundle that she was holding, too busy to look up until she realised something familiar about the long strides of the man. Making her eyes travel the distance from the lower half of his body to the upper half, Steph froze in her place, though his body was still in motion as he turned to the side and entered the conference hall. She was shocked, surprised and a quivering mass of nerves now. Turning on her heels, she scrambled out of the hallway into her office to get a grip over herself.

On reaching her office, she quickly drained the glass of water to gather her wits. Paul Michael Levesque. This couldn't be happening. She wasn't supposed to see him until next week when she was prepared to face him. "God, why this change of plans," she lifted her gaze to the ceiling and proclaimed in a low voice. She scowled with frustration. When she was all prepared to see a glimpse of him, in that bar, he didn't turn up. And now, when she was already feeling a bit out of place with her brain getting lost in another world every now and then, Paul showed up out of the blue. It had been 11 days, 15 hours and about 25 minutes (she looked at her watch to confirm the minutes figure), since she last saw him. She was surely obsessed with him cause she kept an account of the time but the question of the year was that after so many days and meeting her just once, whether he would recognise her or not. What if he doesn't remember her? Damn. This was the actual matter of concern. Gahh this was her first professional meeting for god's sake, why the hell Paul came in this one.

She rolled her eyes at her own behaviour cause it was irrational. But no one has ever affected Steph the way Paul has and the reason is unbeknownst to her. Her cellphone beeped as it showed the conference's reminder. Shit. She was late. She should be in the conference hall already. Getting late on her first meeting won't give others a good impression of her. Well, even the concern of facing the CEO in the meeting just faded away. Damn you, Levesque.

Moving out of the office, she valiantly attempted to calm down and gather her thoughts. She walked self consciously towards the hall. The front doors of the hall swung open as she took in the appearance of it. It was a spacious glass-walled room with an equally spacious dark wooden table and at least 20 matching chairs around it. There was a floor-to-ceiling glass window on the other side of the room with a stunning vista. But something, or someone to be exact, made her heart caught up in her throat. Paul levesque was standing half turned. He was immaculately dressed in a nifty white shirt, black velvet coat and black dress pants covering his toned thighs, looking flawless.

She made her way to the back of the table. No way in hell she would sit somewhere in the front. As she took her seat, her nerves resurfaced, making her fidget. What if Paul was supposed to lead the meeting? Even the thought of it was unnerving. Lost in her thoughts, she failed to hear Shane calling her name until he closed the long gap between them and was standing just next to her seat.

"Stephanie?," Shane called out politely to get her attention.

At first she slightly jumped at hearing her name but relaxed and found her voice somehow upon realising that it was Shane. "Yes," her voice came out as a whisper so she cleared her throat. "Yes." There, that was more confident and audible.

"You cannot sit at the back, you are supposed to sit with me in the front."

She nodded imperceptibly, picking up her stuff and walking over to the front knowing too well that she couldn't escape this. The distance between the most enigmatic man and her was now shrunk to just about three feet. Geez. Her memories of him did not do him much justice. _'He isn't merely good looking, he is flawless, breathtaking and he is here,'_ she thought to herself. Subconsciously, she was turning the pen between her fingers and was about to take her seat when she heard some footsteps approaching her. Lifting her gaze, rather nervously, she found that Paul fucking Levesque was walking towards her. Holy cow.

"You remember her, right?," Shane, who was ready to take a seat asked the handsomely dressed guy. God, if he said no, Stephanie would die of humiliation and disappointment right there – expired on the expensive persian carpet of this conference room and would be carried out and buried. Steph tried to have her professional face on, hiding the nervousness that was bubbling up in her, the churning of her stomach and her thumping heartbeat.

"Yes, I do. How can I forget Stephanie McMahon," Paul declared in a gushing way, smiling into her eyes as he extended his hand for a handshake. That infectious smile made her stomach do flip flops. "Nice to hear that Mr. Levesque," she replied while joining her hand with his. She felt an odd exhilarating shiver run through her, when their fingers touched. He recognised her, and for some inexplicable reason she found herself blushing.

More people began to enter the room, as low murmurs could be heard. Consciously she separated her hand from his, before looking back up at him. He was beautiful, really beautiful, no one had the right to be this good-looking.

"Thank you for interceding for me," Steph uttered gleefully. Her smile widening with every passing second.

"It was my pleasure, Steph," he said nonchalantly but quickly corrected himself for not calling her with her full name. "Sorry, Stephanie."

"Not a big deal, Mr. Levesque. I like being called Steph so no need to apologise," she shrugged. Christ, she was so good. No nerve wrecking babbling, no nonsense talk and no silence. Damn, she was capable of handling situations more than she thought she was.

"And I like being called Paul. So no need to call me Mr. Levesque, Steph," he said while winking at her, giving her another reason to dreamily lay in bed and fantasise about him. His wink had it's own characteristics, it made her heart hammer in her chest. The thumping wasn't anywhere near this hammering.

It was like they both had no idea whatsoever was going around them, no concern about the colleagues glancing at them, not bothered about the meeting that was supposed to start already. However it felt as if Shane was on cue to chime in and disturb the duo.

"Sorry to disturb you guys but we are already running five minutes late. So you both can continue with the chit chat during lunch," Shane said before making his way to one of the executive. Paul rolled his eyes at his friend's interference. He looked back at Stephanie who was playing with her fingers, when she lifted her gaze again at him.

"Paul, I'm in the mood to celebrate, if you know a good place for sandwiches and coffee. I'll buy you lunch," Steph offered before her courage could dessert her.

Paul hesitated for an unbearable moment, then a smile dawned across his tanned features. "That's the best offer I've had all day. After this meeting, we will have lunch together."

* * *

**Just thought of giving you guys some Paul/Steph interaction cause I'm still darn happy about their interaction on twitter LOL :) ****Please Review :)**


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